This is already one of the use-cases listed for WEI. The intended implementation of WEI will be Play Protect which lives in ARM TrustZone and thus runs above the kernel[0]. So you'll have something even more invasive than kernel-level anticheat.

[0] In ARM speak, kernel mode is EL1, hypervisor mode is EL2, and TrustZone mode is EL3. Each exception level is a higher level of privilege.

Not that extreme but some banking apps on android did check for root at some point and refused to run so there may be precedent

Many random apps do e.g. McDonald's app, and not just root but SafetyNet checks, which is way more strict than just root thing

Remember when Ebay did portscans on their clients to see if it was a bot?

It might be more common than you think. Some major SAST tools complain if you aren't checking if the device is rooted, and it wouldn't surprise me if some naive shops blindly followed the recommendation without need.

Oh right! I said crypto on hacker news! what was I thinking?! :-D

>Oh right! I said crypto on hacker news! what was I thinking?! :-D

Post that comment again when crypto accounts are FDIC[0] (or whatever scheme, if any, is used where you live) insured. I'm sure you'll get a different response.

[0] https://www.fdic.gov/

You only need FDIC in systems where you don't own the coins. Cryptocurrencies actually obviate a lot of added fat like this ;-)

SecuROM is DRM for PC games that installs a rootkit. I first learned about it when it was used with Spore 15 years ago and it bricked my Windows install.

No, Valve is specifically noted for not having a kernel-driver anticheat in a landscape where most competitive games do use them. Notably, Easy Anti-Cheat, BattlEye, and Valorant's Vanguard all use kernel drivers, but no Valve Anti-Cheat has, because they've focused on server-side heuristics and crowed-sourced detection instead of trying to force the client to rat itself out.